For quite some time, I had in my collection an old drawing depicting a senior officer who took part in the Battle of Turin on 7 September 1706. I felt that the time had finally come to do justice to this historical figure, transforming the original drawing into a more detailed and evocative illustration while preserving the distinctive appearance of a senior officer of the early eighteenth century.
The officer I have chosen to depict is General Bernhard Otto von Rehbinder (1662–1742), a distinguished military commander whose career spanned several decades and whose name became closely associated with the Savoyard army.
Born on 21 November 1662 in Reval (present-day Tallinn, Estonia), then part of the Swedish Empire, Rehbinder belonged to an old Baltic German noble family of Lutheran faith. He embarked upon a military career at an early age, initially serving in the Swedish army and subsequently gaining experience in the military service of other European powers.
During the War of the Spanish Succession, he distinguished himself as an experienced and capable commander. At the Battle of Turin on 7 September 1706, he commanded the centre of the Allied army, including Palatine and Imperial troops. His leadership proved particularly valuable during the assault on the Franco-Spanish defensive positions. Contemporary accounts describe his determined conduct and the repeated attacks carried out by his troops against the enemy entrenchments. His courage, tactical judgement and composure earned him the admiration of Duke Victor Amadeus II of Savoy, who subsequently secured his services.
Rehbinder continued to distinguish himself in the following campaigns, taking part in the expedition into Provence and the siege of Toulon in 1707. He later held important military appointments in the Savoyard army, eventually rising to the highest ranks of the kingdom's military establishment. In 1711, his name became associated with a newly raised German infantry regiment in Savoyard service, the Rehbinder Regiment, which would continue its military history long after the conclusion of the War of the Spanish Succession. He was subsequently appointed Governor of Pinerolo and rose to the rank of Field Marshal in the service of the House of Savoy. Rehbinder died in Turin on 12 November 1742, after a long and distinguished military career.
Through this illustration, I have attempted to bring back to life one of the less frequently portrayed commanders of the 1706 campaign.
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| General Bernahard Otto von Rehbinder (1662 - 1742), as Gouvernor of Pinerolo Copyright Michele SAVASTA FIORE |
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